No High-tech gadgets, no fishing boat, net and not even any fishermen folks around him to help. All by himself, this part time and amateur fisherman barely with a towel wrapped around his waist has amazed me with his skills. All that he had was a local hand made steel rod connected to a fishing hook and weight by a long nylon rope of about 100 ft in length. At first sight I didn’t realize what he was up to while I was shooting blue sky, waves, fishing boats & sea at East Coast road Beach at Chennai TN, India. I have seen people with professional fishing kits at lakes, rivers and ponds but he was an eye opener for me as I didn’t know before that fishes can be caught at sea shore even, where tides and waves are so strong and fishes do ever exist at this close range for fishing.

I went nearby followed his actions closely to find his amazing talent and clicked those moments in a series of images and he was too willing to pose for me and explained the process too!!

Here is the success story of a man with no family, wandering around in a fishermen hamlet, catches fish in an unique way for living and proves the point that there is always an opportunity in Life only if we see it properly!

Waiting patiently after throwing the weight & hook as far as he could into the see.

Dragging the catch

Bait in hook used is the stuff inside these shells after braking with stone.

“The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser – in case you thought optimism was dead.”

Is there any proof that optimism leads to better results?
Walter Isaacson says, “[Steve Jobs] taught himself to stare without blinking so he could talk people into things — they called it the reality distortion field….He would make people believe they could do the impossible, which is why he was such a charismatic business leader.”

Is Optimism detrimental?

Generally, ‘optimism’ is not detrimental but is a good positive mental attitude.

However, blind optimism, obsessively optimistic, optimism with arrogance, irrational optimism, etc. can backfire on the individual.

In philosophy, ‘optimism’ can refer to ‘optimistic’ on the existence of god and going to heaven after physical death. The non-theistic would then be taking a ‘pessimistic’ stance in contra to this sense of ‘theistic optimism’. This theistic optimism can be detrimental to humanity arising from the excesses of theism.
Further debate on this subject would be too philosophical and hence full stop here!

I took this image without any planning in mind; Just a casual shot while I was desperately looking for some creative photographic subject. Then I searched for some suitable text and came up with these inspiring quotes/words and a story to back up optimism. All credit goes to those great people who shared the original thoughts.

The story is so old that hunting peacock was legal then… Don’t skip, read on!!

Optimism – A short story:

There was a king who once went to the jungle for hunting. He was accompanied by one of his ministers. While the minister was trying to arrow down a peacock, he happens to hurt the king’s index finger unknowingly. The king turns very furious. He decides to maroon the minister deep in the forest. Doing so, he starts off to his palace. On the way, he encounters some tribal inhabitants. They immediately take custody of the king and prepare him for a ritual sacrifice. While just about to kill the king, one of them notices the king’s bleeding finger. He informs this to all his fellowmen. They then let the king go, saying that an incomplete life can not be given as a sacrifice to the God.

The king realizes that the mistake committed by the minister has now saved him. He goes back to the minister, narrates to him what had happened, apologizes and thanks him. The minister being very optimistic says that it is he who has to thank the king for marooning him. Bewildered, the king asks what for he is thanked? The minister replies that if he had not been marooned by the king, the tribal would have killed him for being perfectly healthy.

Saying so, the minister concludes that there is always something good in whatever happens. Let’s look at the better part of things.

HMV Style 7:- 1899 – the His master’s Voice or HMV, is a famous music trademark, and was the name of a large record label for a number of years.

The name His master’s Voice or HMV was coined in the year 1899, from the title of painting of Nipper the dog listening to a gramophone.

Horn gramophones continued to be made right up to 1930. For the most part, however, they began to fall from favor in the early 1920’s. A few years before the First World War machines began to be made with the horn turned ‘upside-down’ and fitted inside the cabinet.

Bearing the beloved image of the hound with his ear turned to the brass trumpet; this delightful antique will be a prized collection for those who love this vintage music machine!

I found this master piece in a showcase of a hotel lobby at Chennai India. Truly a great subject for photography due to its rarity and I am happy I had my camera ready then and snapped a few close shots before some hotel staff could raise objections!

…the more you see of his behind.
I’ve always been fascinated by the monkeys, and these close-up look at their faces just captivated me. Hope I have captured their emotions and personality(Hair style) in a very effective way.
There’s never a dull moment with monkeys around. There are plenty of them around my area hence one of my favorite subject for photography and I enjoy clicking them!
Snapped while this baby monkey was looking down and busily cracking a green ground nut; there are so many of them around my house and regularly visit my place. I often bribe them with some good fruits and ground nuts; make them come closer to get a handsome shot. Here is a few of them from my archive.

Tiger caves is one of the oldest monumental places near Mahaballipuram, East coast road, Chennai India belongs to the period between 7th century AD and 9th century AD.

Tiger cave’s is a perfect picnic spot and ideal place for nature photography. You can laze around, climb small rocks and enjoy a breath of fresh air over here. It is an ideal destination for nature lovers and art lovers. If you visit Mamallapuram to see the popular Pallava sculptures belonging to 7thcentury AD, ensure that you visit Tiger’s Cave too. Tiger’s Cave has got its name from a cave set apart among the rocks with a crown of carved tiger heads around the temple. In fact, it is a misnomer as you cannot find tiger’s figures but massive Yazhis (a mythological animal).

You cannot find any deity in this temple which is believed to be dedicated to the goddess Durga. There are large and impressive figures of yazhis located in front of the caves. The rock has carvings which tell some events related to the goddess Durga, and hence it is believed to be a temple of Durga. It is photographer’s delight to climb up this rock and pose for photographs.

This historical place is believed to be one among the sculptures and temples in Mamallapuram built by Pallava kings Narasimhavarman and Rajasimhavarman. The complex also houses a rock cut Shiva temple and an ancient Muruga temple unearthed by Tsunami in 2004 AD. Another attraction of the place is calm, serene and neat beach. The complex, which is maintained by Archaeological Survey of India, is dotted by palm, casuarinas and other trees.

All my images are copyrighted and I own the rights and use/copy/edit or use in any form any where in internet / print media without written consent from me is prohibited 😉

The Rhinoceros hornbill(Buceros rhinoceros) is a large, cavity-nesting bird with black plumage, a white abdomen, and a long white tail crossed by a wide black band. Named for the upturned casque or “horn” that sits atop their giant colorful beaks, the males and females look alike except for their eye color (M-red, F-white).

Interesting Facts:-

After the female lays 1-2 eggs, the pair uses mud and fruit to seal the female inside the tree cavity. The male passes food to her through a tiny hole while the female sits on the eggs. Thirty days after the chicks hatch, the female breaks out of the cavity and reseals the entrance. The chicks remain in the nest until they are about 80 days old.

All my images are copyrighted and I own the rights and use/copy/edit or use in any form any where in internet / print media without written consent from me is prohibited 😉